UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – During the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, the Eberly Family Special Collections Library at Penn State will offer a pop-up exhibit titled, “Faster, Higher, Stronger: Winter Olympics in the Special Collections Library,” from 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15, and again at 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, in Mann Assembly Room, 103A Paterno Library.
Featured items from the collections of Hal Wilson, Penn State class of 1951; John A. Lucas, former official Olympic historian and professor emeritus of exercise sports and science; and Elizabeth Hanley, associate professor emeritus of kinesiology will be on display.
Wilson has developed a substantial Olympic Games collection that includes programs, tickets, brochures, maps, pins, mascots and medals from the Winter Games in 1924 in Chamonix, France, through those held in Sochi, Russia, in 2014. A notable item in Wilson’s collection is the very first Olympic mascot, a stylized skier named “Schuss,” from the 1968 Grenoble games.
Lucas, honored with the Olympic Order Medal in 1996 for his distinguished contributions to the Olympic Movement, had been designated as the official Olympic historian for his extensive expertise and knowledge. The Lucas collection features books, journal articles, magazines, research publications, original documents and artifacts.
Hanley is a member of the International Olympic Academy, a multicultural interdisciplinary center that aims at studying, enriching and promoting Olympism. She has collected programs, tickets, brochures and pins while attending several Olympic Games.
For additional information about this pop-up exhibit, or any of the collections mentioned, contact Paul Dzyak at pjd106@psu.edu or 814-865-2123.